positive and negative of Maximilian Robespierre
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Maximilien Robespierre, in full Maximilien-François-Marie-Isidore de Robespierre, (born May 6, 1758, Arras, France—died July 28, 1794, Paris), radical Jacobin leader and one of the principal figures in the French Revolution. In the latter months of 1793 he came to dominate the Committee of Public Safety, the principal organ of the Revolutionary government during the Reign of Terror, but in 1794 he was overthrown and executed in the Thermidorian Reaction.
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During this time, France was a bit of a mess with massive debt, food shortages, and high taxes on the poor. You may remember that French society had three estates: the first estate was the clergy of the Catholic church, the second estate the aristocracy, and the third estate was everybody else. There was also King Louis XVI up at the top who was an absolute monarch. The three estates came together at the Estates-General to try to figure out how to fix France's problems. In 1789, Robespierre was elected as a deputy for the third estate.
The French Revolution began when the third estate broke off and created the National Assembly. But even within the National Assembly, there was no agreement on how to move forward to make France a more equal, free and prosperous place. Some on the right wanted the king to hang around, while the far left wanted the monarchy gone. Unsurprisingly, Robespierre found himself at home with the far left party, the Jacobins. He rose to prominence speaking passionately about how the goal of the revolution should be to make France a republic of virtue with equality and liberty for all men. He was especially convincing because he really lived out his values. He was nicknamed the Incorruptible because he was not interested in personal wealth or acclaim. He lived in a modest apartment; he walked everywhere, and refused to take carriages.
Meanwhile, things got messy. In 1792, the King was arrested (and later guillotined in 1793), and France declared war on Austria and Prussia. After a power struggle in the revolutionary government, the Jacobins came out on top. They got to put their own members on the Committee of Public Safety , which was tasked with keeping order and helping the revolution progress. Robespierre was chosen to sit on this committee and became its most famous member.